Posts Tagged ‘Policy Control’

One of the key themes addressed at the recent SDP Global Summit held in Rome last week was the potential for operators to offer APIs that enable control of network policy. Such APIs can be for internal use – to enhance service offers – or could be offered to a range of third parties.

A consensus emerged around the idea that network ‘policy as a service’ represents a unique asset that can be leveraged by operators. Since they own, operate and manage networks, they are in a unique position to control Quality of Services for applications and users.

A variety of business opportunities have been proposed – from using policy APIs to secure service level agreements for customers with demanding applications (think enterprise here) to offering the same APIs through secure gateways to OTT application providers without network assets of their own and which may wish to enhance service delivery for their applications.

But there is something missing from this discussion. While it’s necessary to expose APIs from policy server and to create an infrastructure to leverage what remain as unique assets, it’s not sufficient. What is needed is the ability to go beyond the physical boundary of the network and to take into account the experience and demands of the user, as well as local resources that are available.

That’s why operators intending to expose policy as a service capabilities – whether to internal users or to third parties – need to consider deploying Policy on the Device solutions. PoD solutions can provide real-time information regarding application demands and the QoS that is available. They can interact with policy control points to ensure that applications that require particular QoS levels are prioritised on demand. What’s more, they can also provide a means to selectively switch between different access networks in a mobile environment, depending on the best available connection option for the specific service or application requested.

Policy as a service makes a lot of sense. It leverages a core operator capability and competence but it is incomplete without taking into account the specific experience of users and their devices. In order to deliver policy as a service, it is essential to incorporate PoD capabilities. Why not talk to GoS Networks to find out how to deliver true end-to-end policy control and enable successful launch and effectiveness of policy as a service offers?

There’s been a spate of news recently about the increasing importance of Policy on the Device (PoD) solutions. Operators are becoming aware that, in order to effectively deliver end-to-end policies and QoS, they have to extend policy monitoring and control capabilities to smart devices.

Just a couple of years ago, PoD was a relatively unknown area, in which pioneers such as GoS Networks were innovating advanced solutions that enhance the user experience, optimise service delivery and reduce operator costs.

Today, as Cassio Sampaio of Bell Canada noted, speaking ahead of this year’s Broadband Traffic Management Event, “Policy on the device will continue to gain traction and perhaps move past the “shiny demo” stage we are currently in. There is a clear space for an increase in the level of self-serve features to be provided to subscribers driving direct cost savings and potentially creating other revenue opportunities”.

We agree. PoD can solve both specific challenges – end-to-end service assurance, RAN optimisation as well as delivering side effects such as enhanced device battery life – but it can also provide a platform for a wide range of new services and capabilities.

This is an interesting time for the evolving policy segment. We’ve had policy 1.0, 2.0 and we think the next phase is coming. Once PoD solutions are widely deployed, they will enable and unlock new services that cannot currently be created or delivered. That’s why it’s so exciting. Operators need to think strategically – using short-term benefits that can be delivered today to enable a richer set of opportunities in the future.

Little wonder, then, that PoD is starting to attract such attention. Why not talk to us and find out how you can benefit today from innovative PoD solutions – and build a framework to enable future innovation? Or, check out the Yankee Group report on the subject by following this link.

Recent research by the Yankee Group forecasts that the emerging market Policy on the Device solutions will enjoy rapid growth in the coming years, experiencing 60% CAGR and reaching more than $500 million by 2016.

MNOs have begun to increasingly explore the potential of extending policy control architecture to devices in recent years and this activity has resulted in the recognition that the deployment of Policy Enforcement Points (PEP) on smart devices can address a number of challenges:

Granular and real-time control of access network selection, including WiFi offload

In the report, Yankee Group forecasts significant activity in this nascent market and that it will grow from $42 million today to exceed $500 million in 2016. GoS Networks has been identified as one of the vendors driving this market and delivering the broadest portfolio of solutions from a single smart device client for MNOs.

The report is available from GoS free of charge under a special licensing arrangement. If you would like to obtain a copy, all you need to do is register and it will be sent straight to your inbox.